The booming fruit trade between China and ASEAN countries boosts the fruit processing industry in the border areas, China News reported on Jan. 10.

A total of 950,000 tons of fruits with the value of $620 million were imported through the ports in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2017, respectively up 5.6 percent and 36.3 percent compared with the previous year, according to statistics released by Guangxi Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau on Jan. 10.

Tropical fruits such as watermelon, pitaya, longan, banana, litchi, rambutan, and wax apple are much favored by Chinese. And fruits grown in China including grapes and apples sold in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia are also popular among the local residents.

Currently, five ports in Guangxi have been approved to inspect and quarantine 50 types of fruits imported from 44 countries and regions, Fang Min, a director at the bureau introduced.

Owing to convenient logistics channels and bright prospect for trade of agricultural products between China and ASEAN countries, 1,730 overseas food enterprises from ASEAN countries have registered in China in recent years, and Chinese well-known fruit processing enterprises have set up branches in Pingxiang, one of the major ports.

The cross-border labor cooperation between China and Vietnam launched in February 2017 has provided jobs for over 70,000 Vietnamese, which not only helps them increase their income, but also solves the problem of short supply of labor resources in Pingxiang, Liao Shisha, director at the human resources and social security bureau of Pingxiang in Guangxi disclosed.

In addition, China’s entry-exit inspection and quarantine department launched an online supervisory platform for border trade, via which people can efficiently go through the declaration formalities through fingerprint recognition and ID verification, Wei Jianneng, director at the Pingxiang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau noted.

The director added that at present, an estimated 6,000 people are involved in cross-border trade through the Pingxiang port each day.